- 2081 Bhadra · 4 marks
Causes and impacts of World War I and II
Short answer
WWI (1914–1918) was caused by militarism, alliances, imperialism, nationalism and the Sarajevo assassination; it collapsed empires, sparked the Russian Revolution and created the Versailles Treaty. WWII (1939–1945) stemmed from Versailles resentment, Depression, fascism, appeasement and the invasion of Poland, resulting in the UN, Cold War, decolonisation, nuclear weapons and 70–85 million deaths.
Describe about the causes and impacts of World War I and II.
World War I (1914–1918)
Causes (MAIN): Militarism (arms race), Alliances (Triple Alliance vs Triple Entente), Imperialism (rivalry for colonies), Nationalism; immediate cause: assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand at Sarajevo (28 June 1914).
Impacts: about 15–20 million deaths; collapse of German, Austro-Hungarian, Ottoman and Russian empires; Russian Revolution (1917); harsh Treaty of Versailles (1919); League of Nations (1920); new technology such as tanks, aircraft and submarines; women's role in work and voting rights increased.
World War II (1939–1945)
Causes: anger at the Treaty of Versailles, Great Depression (1929), rise of Hitler, Mussolini and Japanese militarism, failure of the League of Nations, appeasement; immediate cause: German invasion of Poland (1 September 1939).
Impacts: about 70–85 million deaths and the Holocaust; atomic bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki; United Nations (1945), IMF and World Bank; USA and USSR became superpowers and the Cold War began; decolonisation of Asia and Africa; Marshall Plan; technologies such as radar, jet engines, computers and nuclear energy.
| Point | WW I | WW II |
|---|---|---|
| Main cause | Alliances, nationalism | Versailles, fascism |
| Deaths | ~15–20 million | ~70–85 million |
| Peace body | League of Nations | United Nations |
| Result | Empires fell | Cold War, decolonisation |
✓ Answer checked by Claude Opus 5.5 (high effort)
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